Process of concentrating ores.



PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905.

A. SGHWARZ.

PROCESS OF GONGENTRATING ORES.

APPLICATION FILED SBPT.21, 1904.

W INVENTOR NORA/Er UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED SOHW VARZ, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO SOHWARZ ORE TREATINGCOMPANY, OF PHCENIX, ARIZONA TERRITORY, A CORPO- RATION OF ARIZONATERRITORY.

PROCESS OF CONCENTRATING ORES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, ALFRED SGHWARZ, asubject of the Emperor of Germany,and a resident of the borough of Manhattamcitymounty,

and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Processes of Concentrating Ores, of which the following is aspecification.

In my application, Serial No. 210,137, filed IO May 27, 1904, I havedescribed a method of concentrating ores which involves the use of amelted hydrocarbon as an adhesive agent, its solidification orgranulation after the metallic constituents of the ore have been en- 5trapped, and the subsequent remelting of the adhesive agent for theseparation and recovery of the values therefrom.

The object of the present invention is to simplify such method bydispensing with the solidification of the adhesive agent, and to extendthe application of normally liquid hydrocarbons in the concentration ofores.

The invention will be understood from the following detaileddescription, the novel fea- 5 tures of which are pointed out in theclaims.

In carrying out my invention the ore is first pulverized and in its drycondition (although in some instances it may be slightly dampened withsteam) mixed with an adhesive agent con- 3 sisting of amelted or anormally liquid hydrocarbon. Of the latter I may use any suitableanimal, vegetable, or mineral oil. Of hydrocarbons solid at normaltemperatures and which require melting I may employ paraffin orozocerite or a resinous hyrocarbon, as resin, pitch, or asphaltum. Thisadhesive agent may consist of any one of the above hydrocarbons or twoor more in combination, the invention not being limited to any par- 4ticular proportion or number of ingredients constituting the adhesiveagent. It is also obvious that the proportions of the ingredients of amixture of two or more of these hydrocarbons may be varied to suit theparticular ore treated.

When a normally liquid hydrocarbon is used, the mixture thereof with thepulveriz'ed ore may be effected in any suitable vessel having anagitator. The hydrocarbon, which is 5 solidat normal temperatures,requires first to n be melted, and the ore may thereupon be mixed withthe melted agent, heat being applied, if

necessary, to maintain the said agent in a melted condition. In eithercase sufficient of the adhesive agent is added to make with the ore apasty mass, agitation being continued long enough to effect and maintaina thorough and intimate mixture of all parts of the pulverized ore withthe said agent. Instead of mechanically agitating the mass, air, steam,or gas may be injected for the purpose of effecting the desired mixture.After the mixing operation the mass is run into boiling water, or wateris added to the mass and the whole heated to the boiling-point. Thewater may be made alkaline or acidulated, if desired or necessary. Theheat is maintained for a sufficient length of time, usually severalminutes, depending upon the character of the ore treated, until theearthy or rocky constituents are liberated. As the boiling continues theadhesive agent, with the metallic constituents of the ore which havebeen entrapped therein, rises to the surface of the water and is floatedor skimmed off and run to a centrifugal drier for the separation of theconcentrates from the adhesive agent. After the removal of theconcentrates from the centrifugal drier they may be heated, if desired,with a caustic potash or soda solution for the removal of any remainingportions of the adhesive agent. The tailings which are washed out by theboiling of the water remain in the bottom of the vessel and may beremoved as desired.

Any apparatus arranged and provided with the necessary means forheating, boiling, and stirring the mass during the several stages of theprocess may be employed. An advantage of importance in connection withthe method above described is that the necessary apparatus may beconveniently arranged to make the method a continuous onethat is, thevessel in which the ore is mixed with the adhesive agent may be soarranged as to discharge a stream of the mixture into a vesselcontaining water maintained at the boiling-point and the latter providedwith means by which the adhesive agent, with the entrapped metallicconstituents as it rises to the surface of the water, may be floated orskimmed off and carried to the centrifugal drier.

While I have described the water as maintained at the boiling-point, Ido not desire to limit myself to that precise temperature, as

with some classes of ores aslightly-lower temperature' will cause theseparation of the tailings from the adhesive agent.

In the claims I have used the generic term heated to include waterheated to a temperature sufficient to maintain a normally solidhydrocarbon ofthe character specified in a liquid condition. Suchtemperature may be that of boiling water or lower.

Of the above-named hydrocarbons I prefer to use singly paraffin orresin. A mixture of these two hydrocarbonsin various proportions hasbeen found to give good results with a large number of ores. zinc ore Ihave used a melted mixture containing sixty-five per cent., by weight,of paraffin and thirty-five per cent., by weight, of resin.

Obviously, however, the particular hydro carbonto be used or the exactproportions of the ingredients of a mixture of any two or more of themwill depend largely upon the character of the ore to be treated.

In carrying outthe invention I prefer to mix the ore dry with thehydrocarbon, although, as above stated, it may be previously dampenedwith steam, and in some cases, particularly when treated with a liquidhydrocarbon, the ore may be mixed with water in any suitable quantity. v

The accompanying drawing shows in perspective one arrangement ofapparatus by which the process may be carried out.

1 designates a bin or hopper from which the pulverized ore is dischargedinto a vessel 2, provided with an agitator 3. In this vessel thepulverized ore and selective agent are intimately mixed. and from saidvessel the mass is discharged into a vessel 4:, in which it is. treatedwith heated or boiling water, acidulated, if desired, to efiect thedesired separation of the selective agent with the metallic constituentsfrom the tailings. lective agent with the entrapped metallicconstituents will rise to the surface and is then run 01f by a trough 5into a storage vessel 6, in which said agent is maintained in a liquidcondition. The separation of the values from the selective agent iseffected by running the mass into a centrifugal drum 7, the recoveredagent being collected in a storage vessel 8, from which it may be raisedby a pump 9 to the mixing vessel 2. The vessels 4:, 6, and 8 Forexample, with a lead.-'

The ser may be provided with agitators, as shown, and they may also besteam-jacketed or otherwise provided with means to maintain in a liquidcondition a selective agent which is solid at normal temperatures. Thetailings may be drawn off from the vessel 4 by a pipe 10 into astorage-tank 11.

In a companion application, Serial No. 210,137, filed May 27, 190 1, Ihave described a process of concentrating ores employing a meltedmixture of a resin and a non-resinous hydrocarbon, it being theintention to claim the same broadly without limitation to any specificmethod of effecting the separation of the selective agent with theentrapped values from the tailings.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The process of concentrating ores consisting in melting a normallysolid hydrocarbon, mixing dry pulverized ore therewith, separating saidhydrocarbon with its entrapped values from the tailings by subjectingthe mixture to the action of a bath of heated water while maintainingsaid hydrocarbon in a melted condition, and finally recovering thevalues from the hydrocarbon.

2. The process of concentrating ores consisting in mixing pulverized orewith a melted adhesive agent composed of a resinous and a non-resinoushydrocarbon which agent is solid at normal temperatures, separating saidagent with its entrapped values from the tailings by subjecting themixture to a bath of heated water while maintaining said agent in amelted condition, and finally recovering the values from the adhesiveagent.

3. The process of concentrating ores consisting in mixing pulverized orewith a melted adhesive agent composed of resin and parafiin which agentis solid at normal temperatures, separating said agent with itsentrapped values from the tailings by subjecting the mixture to a bathof heated water while maintaining the agent in a melted condition, andfinally recovering the values from the adhesive agent. In witnesswhereof I have signed my name in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

ALFRED SCHINARZ.

Witnesses:

PHILIP S. HILL, CHARLES S. JoNEs.

